The Grassy Knol: Google is flipping the bird to Wikipedia this week by launching their own collaborative web encyclopedia, dubbed “Knol“. They define a knol as a “unit of knowledge” but the real jab is how they describe individual articles: “an authoritative article about a specific topic.” [emhpasis added] Rather than opening a topic up for creation and editing by all who please (a la Wikipedia), Knols are created and maintained by individuals who set the level of collaboration (default setting requires creator to approve suggested changes). Users are encouraged to create a bio to display their credentials. Google also encourages authors to employ Creative Commons licensing on their work. By creating a more controlled environment, Google is trying to look like iTunes next to Wiki’s Napster. How well Knol does will surely be a referendum on Wikipedia’s trustworthyness as a resource. Knol’s transparency just might kill off the snickers from the fact-checking peanut gallery when someone cites an online encyclopeida as a source.
The Shield: Not the Michael Chiklis cop opera (final season…BRING IT), but a Washington Post article calling for the Senate to follow in the House’s footsteps on passing a shield law for reporters and their confidential sources, at the urging of “the Senate Judiciary Committee…the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees…the attorneys general[s] of 42 states,” and the already-adopted laws of “49 states and the District.” The states offer protection against reporters compelled to reveal confidential sources in criminal investigations, but “the absence of a federal statute undermines those protections, ‘producing inconsistency and uncertainty for reporters and the confidential sources,’ a letter from 41 of the attorneys general noted.” Wherefore art thou, Scooter and Judith? Valerie and Dick? I’m sure you have an opinion here…